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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#49: Worth the Wait

Mrs. Dalloway follows a woman running errands in preparation for a party she's hosting that evening. A Single Man depicts a day-in-the-life of a professor. Molly Fox’s Birthday features one friend housesitting for another.

Of course, these novels are actually about much more than their mundane premises may imply. That's the wonderful thing about fiction: something as ordinary as running errands can turn into wildly different stories at the hands of different authors.

This week, we're working with a similarly mundane premise (on the surface, anyway): waiting. It's up to you to dig beneath the surface of banality to reveal the interesting story happening underneath!

This week's prompts

Write a story that takes place in a waiting room.

Thriller and Suspense – 256 stories

Write a story about a person waiting for an answer to a question.

Thriller and Suspense – 171 stories

Write a story about waiting — but don't reveal what's being waited for until the very end.

Nonfiction – 323 stories

Write a story about a relationship where one person is always running late and the other is constantly kept waiting.

Romance – 108 stories

Write a story about two strangers chatting while waiting for something.

Dialogue – 196 stories

Stories

“When will the truth come out ? Waiting for justice- Dr Muskaan ” by Alkaa Sharma

Submitted to Contest #49

When will the truth come out ? Waiting for justice- Dr Muskaan There are many instances which happen in our life that often ponder questions in our mind is there justice in world? Dr Muskaan was a wonderful doctor by profession who faced all the ordeals and difficulties of life with her indomitable courage and never give up attitude. It all began like a typical Bollywood film with an educated brilliant doctor girl, Dr Muskaan falling in love with a average doctor boy, Dr Vishnu. Though she was a good-looking bright girl, all hale and hearty ...

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“Silence” by 𝔸. Triangle

Submitted to Contest #49

Fascinating was the birth of my first child. A boy. One so pure and innocent, yet so unaware of the cruel world outside the bland hospital walls. Ignorance is bliss they say, but is bliss truly the ignorance of it? Unfortunately, I'd find out soon enough. I had never experienced such bliss as watching my son meet this unrefined world, and all that was in it. But that moment of pure joy was the clearest, most monumental moment of my life, ignorance forgotten. Not for long though. I didn't have to wait long though, the universes karmic atti...

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“Karmic Wait” by Vimal Rao

Submitted to Contest #49

Milenza Prison, Some where deep in the INDIAN JUNGLES -1961“It’s time, Kabir.” The warden spoke,leaning on the door, his voice mildly reverberating in the lonely cell-number 251.“Come on now, wake up. Don’t want to be late for your judgement day, eh?” pressing his voice a little more and clanged his lathi on the wall a couple of times like an alarm bell.A few minutes later, the warden along with his prisoner, walked along the dimly lit passage way that had cells on either side. It was quiet and the only sound that gave them company was ...

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“Somebody” by Zea Bowman

Submitted to Contest #49

"Are you waiting for somebody, too?" he asks, casually flicking a cigarette onto the ground. I shift in my seat on the bench, about 3 feet away from him."You could say that, yes."The young man pauses. "Ah. You would rather me not know.""It's not that, no...I don't mean to be rude. Sorry." He's awfully handsome. His dark brown hair moves slightly in the soft wind, and his blue eyes glisten in the moonlight. He wears a black leather jacket; his hands shoved into the pockets. His ripped jeans are a little bit too short, but a person would not n...

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“Enduring the Abyss of Time” by Erick Morin

Submitted to Contest #49

Time slows when the ability to quantify it is no longer available. Each moment of my life moves reluctantly through each phase, the short tick from the hand moving around a clock. I find myself on this street corner preparing for the juncture that comes next. I reach into my pocket, but I don’t have my phone. I was sure I grabbed it from the counter in the kitchen, but I was in a hurry, it must still be there. Murphy’s law hangs over my head, a gray cloud ready to burst. I look around, the familiarity of the street escapes me. The anticipati...

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“Who's Next?” by Lisa E. Hamilton (Ms.Cheevious)

Submitted to Contest #49

“Acelynn! Acelynn! It’s time to get out of bed!” I listened to my mother’s shouts coming from the kitchen but decided to ignore them. If I ignored the next shout I’d expect that my little brother would eventually come running in my room with his tiny feet, eager to deliver the message from my mother. I pulled the sheet over my head. “Acelynn!” I groaned. I know mum, it's May 1st. A minute hadn’t passed before I heard Aden’s feet slapping on the wooden floor boards, the loose ones squeaking under his weight. I laid as still as I could beneath...

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“Baubles and Stars” by Sarah Kaderbek

Submitted to Contest #49

They were ushered into the room and then left there to wait. There were six of them in all — six crammed into one waiting room. There were seats to spare but no room for any of them. Four men, two women, and the room was too full. Three of the men were comparatively young — one plain, one handsome, one married — and the old man made them all look cheap. Two women — one vibrant, one in white — one was married, and the silence became unbearable.They should have all been speaking at once. With such a collection of ...

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“"A sudden change"” by Tehreem Hussain

Submitted to Contest #49

One night heart , was exceptionally lonely.so I set out for my usual walk.i am sitting on the bench in the park starting aimlessly into the sky.Sduddenly I hear a warm sound behind me "why so down mister?" When I turned around it was greeted by gentle and kind smile.Heart was immediately captivated by this stranger.usually I recognized everyone in this park who are you? I asked him,,, He said I'm new here we just shifted in this area a four days ago ,and I'm coming here to bring my little brother .what about you? Why your mood is so low ? he...

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“The Sound of Sunset” by Courtney Haynes

Submitted to Contest #49

“Mr. Hawkins.. Mr. Hawkins.” The old man’s white pupiled eyes stared out at the horizon as if waiting to see something.“I told you to be here at 6:30,” he said to the sky.“It’s 6:28,” I shyly said back.“Exactly, it ain’t 6:30. I tell you to come at 6:30 you come at 6:30. None of this showing-up-early mess. You ain't gonna get paid extra for showing up early if that what you were thinking.”"I wasn't thinking that, sir.""Well, good."“Do you want me to leave and come back?”“Nah, what kind of silliness is that. You might as well get started...

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“14:25 from the Middle of Nowhere” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #49

It’s so hot even the cicadas have given up.The heat makes the air shimmer above the tracks. The sun beats down on the cracked concrete of the platform. There’s the faintest gust of a breeze - hardly worthy of the name, but just enough to set the dust dancing and send a faint smell of lavender and thyme down from the hills.A young woman sprawles in what passes for shade, with a backpack against her knees. Her hair is gathered in a messy bun from which sweaty strands are escaping. She checks her watch and then page seventy-four of her Thomas C...

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“Answered Question” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #49

As I step out of the B&B in Port Henry I can’t get over the colors, the vibrant greens with splashes of gold and rust fill the countryside. As a life long Arizonan I’m use to more muted shades of greens, beiges and browns, so this is a treat for me. Standing on the wrap around porch, I breathe in the scents of the trees and plants. And of course the smells that roll off Lake Champlain. It is beautiful here, and so vast, this is the reason I came, to see this beautiful lake and to see if I can finally unravel the quest...

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“The Execution” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #49

London, May 19th, 1536.The endless wait was agonizing. Gerard sat alone in the dark, his troubled thoughts and his burdened conscience his only company. The coming dawn would bring with it an ordeal the very thought of which made him feel ill. The execution was scheduled for first light. While Gerard silently bemoaned his fate, he was painfully aware that he’d brought this on himself. The time for denial had passed, he was about to come face-to-face ...

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“Five Days, Sixteen Hours, Nine Minutes, and Fifty Seconds” by Claire C

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #49

Crickets chirp, fire crackles, an electronic heartbeat punctuates the dark of night: short long, long short short, short long, short short short, long… A sonic history of the People of the Planet Earth drifts in the silence of deep space somewhere between stars, waiting to be played by an unlikely passerby. It was a romantic image of Earth’s message to the great beyond, which was in actuality a far cry from the worldly greetings and hand-picked audio of early deep space probes. Instead, Earth leaked culture like a balloon with a ...

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“"I'M STILL WAITING FOR YOU"” by Swati Sharma

Submitted to Contest #49

Whenever I feel overwhelmed or worn out, I go to my room. If I need a break or just some time to myself, you can find me there too. It is not like any other room in the house. It is where I feel most safe and comfortable. Where I can always be myself. It is a room that belongs to me. It may look like all the other rooms in the house but, my room is above them all. It is just perfect for me. It is a small place, about 12 feet by 18 feet, with a desk, a dresser, a closet, and of course, a bed. There is always a light scent of vanilla from a ca...

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“Love, Eternal” by Christopher G

Submitted to Contest #49

The walls are painted white. Too white that it makes me uncomfortable. It reminds me of being alone with no one to catch you when you are falling. But if it was blue or some other color, I probably would just find other fears to attach to the simple color of the wall. I can deal with the floor because it seems more tangible. I can feel it beneath my feet, when I walked into the room, signed in, and sat on the cold, hard chairs. I can at least still feel the floor, to let me know that I won’t fall into a bottomle...

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$50

Prize money

1054

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 10, 2020 EST

Won by Courtney Stuart 🏆

Title: When The Northern Lights Finally Reach You

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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